Not from a market swing or a big product win, but from something deeper. Something human. Something real. For me, goosebumps have become the unofficial measure of success. Not revenue. Not returns. But resonance. Because when you hit that moment with a client – where money becomes a mirror for something more meaningful – you’re not just ticking boxes. You’re transforming lives.
And that’s where the future of financial planning lies.
The shift we didn’t know we needed
For years, I followed the rules. Study hard. Learn the products. Build the practice. And I did. I grew a career, advised clients and earned my stripes. But there was a point where I started to wonder: is this it?
I wasn’t burnt out. I was disconnected.
Then something changed.
What started as personal growth began to ripple into how I worked with clients. The more I grew myself, the more I saw clearly: we can’t help people build true wealth if we don’t help them understand themselves first.
At Growth Financial Planning, we believe your relationship with money reflects your relationship with yourself: your patterns, fears and unspoken values. If those things don’t evolve, your financial plan won’t either – no matter how technically sound it is.
A new measure of success
The profession tends to reward scale, assets under management, technical mastery. But what if we started celebrating something else, too? Clients who shift from fear-based decisions to value-aligned ones. Conversations that go beyond tax and trust structures and into purpose. Families who start talking about money differently – more honestly, more consciously.
This doesn’t mean we abandon rigour. It means we acknowledge that financial planning is deeply human. Real change requires both logic and emotion, both spreadsheets and soul. This approach changes everything. It’s impact. It’s legacy. It’s what lights me up.
Real change requires both logic and emotion, both spreadsheets and soul. This approach changes everything.
Why financial advisors should be mentors
Clients don’t just want to know what to do with their money. They want to understand why they behave the way they do. They want to shift the patterns they inherited. They want to feel secure and alive. They want balance. They want to grow themselves so they can grow their wealth. And when we meet them there – at that intersection of self and strategy – that’s where the magic happens.
What this looks like in practice
It’s one thing to talk about mindset; it’s another to integrate it meaningfully into your practice. Here’s what we’ve done differently at Growth:
We ask clients about their money stories before we ask about their risk profile. We invite reflection as part of our reviews. “What’s changed in your life?” is as important as “What’s changed in the market?” We offer tools that focus not just on returns, but on alignment. Does your money reflect your values, season of life, future vision? This kind of planning gives clients clarity and calm. And it gives us, as advisors, a sense of purpose that goes beyond performance graphs.
The rise of the authentic advisor
In her book Present with Power, Verity Price speaks about the power of authentic presence – how owning your voice, truth and story is what moves an audience. I believe the same is true in financial planning.
When you show up real, your clients will too. You don’t need to be the loudest, most polished or most technical person in the room. You just need to be you – clear, grounded, curious. That’s what people connect with. That’s what builds trust. That’s how you create moments that matter. The goosebump ones.
An invitation
If you’re a fellow advisor reading this, I leave you with these questions:
- What lights you up?
- What kind of planner do you really want to be?
- What kind of impact do you want to leave behind?
Because if you’re willing to grow yourself – your voice, presence and perspective – I believe you can change this profession. One honest conversation at a time.
